The Forward Day by Day Meditation for March 26, 2016

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SATURDAY, March 26 Holy Saturday

John 19:40They took the body of Jesus and wrapped it with the spices in linen cloths.

When you walk into the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem, the first pilgrimage site is just inside the entrance. It is a marble slab, fragrant from the smell of myrrh rubbed into the stone. If you turn to the right, you can make your way to Golgotha Chapel, the traditional site of Jesus’ crucifixion. And if you turn to the left, you can get to the Edicule, a large structure that covers what tradition says is the tomb of Christ. To the right or left are the most holy sites in Christendom, perhaps. But there, in the middle, in this simple slab, is one of the most tender pilgrimage sites in the world. For it is on that spot that tradition holds Jesus’ body was prepared for burial. Even today, the senses are overwhelmed with the scent of myrrh, the sound of weeping, and the sight of people kneeling. The stone feels cool.

Holy Saturday is a tender day. We are between two monumental days. Like Jesus’ body, which rested, we rest today. We prepare ourselves for joy, even as we grieve. But mostly, we rest.